Novice Historical Society

[k4kyv]

I guess they are not warm to the idea of making all the bands similar to 160 by eliminating mode base segments.  Even though it seems to work okay on 160.

I know of a couple of hams who petitioned the FCC a few years ago to do just that, and one of them told me it generated a lot of hate mail (both electronic and snail), and IIRC, they said they even received a couple of threats of vandalism and/or bodily harm.

[WD8BIL]

You guys got into ham radio through CB? That's it, I can't talk to you anymore.

Yes Steve. My very first AM qso was on 27.125Mhz. QRP (ie.... peeeeeiiss weak)

No reply expected!

[K3ZS]

The thing I remember most about my novice days was receiving my only ever pink ticket from the FCC.   I had just upgraded my 40M dipole to a 14AVQ trap vertical.    These things do wonders on radiating every harmonic available.    I got a real FCC notice (not an ARRL observer) about my CW signal being heard on the 20M band.   This was in 1958 before 11M CB.    I was using a Globe Chief.    I must have had it tuned OK because my log showed a CW contact taking place at the time of the violation on 40M.     I used CW most of the time after upgrading because of the crappy equipment I had wasn't very effective on AM,  SSB at the time was reserved for the wealthy.

[W3GMS]

The thing I remember most about my novice days was receiving my only ever pink ticket from the FCC.   I had just upgraded my 40M dipole to a 14AVQ trap vertical.    These things do wonders on radiating every harmonic available.    I got a real FCC notice (not an ARRL observer) about my CW signal being heard on the 20M band.   This was in 1958 before 11M CB.    I was using a Globe Chief.    I must have had it tuned OK because my log showed a CW contact taking place at the time of the violation on 40M.     I used CW most of the time after upgrading because of the crappy equipment I had wasn't very effective on AM,  SSB at the time was reserved for the wealthy.

I got one as well from the FCC when I was a Novice.  I was using a 80/40 dipole.  I was on 80M and also radiating enough of a signal outside of the 40M Ham band to be heard by the FCC.  I then went back to just an 80M dipole and the problem was eliminated.  

I did get another pink slip when I upgraded to General while operating on 75M AM phone.  I was maybe 14 years old at the time and forgot to ID at one of the 10 minute intervals.  They FCC visited my station and took all my logs books to compare them with the tape recordings they were making in the FCC Van just down the road.  Several months later they sent all the log books back and said my logs were very accurate.  I had to send them a letter telling them why I exceeded the 10 minute ID interval and how I was going to keep it from happening again.  I told them my egg timer was found to be inaccurate and with my after school work money I would purchase another egg timer and check its accuracy before operating back on the air.  That was the end of it....While they were there they inspected the station and suggest that my HV wiring be more secured in the back of the rack.  During that time in the 60's a lot of music was being played on 75M and I think the real reason of the extensive monitoring was to see if I was playing music on the air.  That was about the same time frame that Bill, W3DUQ lost his license for playing music!    

Joe, W3GMS      

[k4kyv]

I once received an FCC notice as a novice for having an audible 2nd harmonic.  It was an advisory notice that  didn't require a response, as I remember. I built up a multi-section low-pass filter for 80m as described in a CQ or QST article and never got another one. Evidently the single parallel tuned tank circuit with tight link coupling directly to a 72-ohm twin lead feeder to a dipole and no additional tuner didn't have enough selectivity to completely suppress the harmonic.

Once while operating from Cambridge, MA, I got a major pink ticket from the Belfast ME monitoring station for going 12 minutes between IDs. They included a verbatim transcript of my entire transmission, which consisted of a hard-core rant pertaining to a highly controversial topic, transmitted on 75m AM in the middle of the day on a weekend.  I suspect it was more an effort to remind me that Big Brother was listening, than any real concern about the extra 2 minutes I went between IDs.

[K3ZS]

It must be the right of passage for a real ham, getting a Novice pink ticket.   For my harmonic radiation, they required a response.    Being 13 years old I had no idea how to respond.    My ham mentor (before they were called elmers) said I ought to have a low-pass filter.   I went and bought a
TVI low-pass filter probably cutting off above 30 MHz.    Little did I know, I installed it and replied to the FCC.   I went on operating thinking that the filter would take care of the problem, luckily I never heard from them again, but I am sure the 20M harmonics were still there.

[K5UJ]

I guess they are not warm to the idea of making all the bands similar to 160 by eliminating mode base segments.  Even though it seems to work okay on 160.

I know of a couple of hams who petitioned the FCC a few years ago to do just that, and one of them told me it generated a lot of hate mail (both electronic and snail), and IIRC, they said they even received a couple of threats of vandalism and/or bodily harm.

That must have been the honorable venerable laudable members of the most noble CTT.   

[K5UJ]

You guys got into ham radio through CB? That's it, I can't talk to you anymore.

Yes Steve. My very first AM qso was on 27.125Mhz. QRP (ie.... peeeeeiiss weak)

No reply expected!

same here--27.125  35 mw.

I got two notices from FCC, one in Powder Springs GA and the other in Kingsville TX.  These were both around 35 years ago but I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday.   But they were when I was a General or Advanced and one when I was brand new Extra.   the first one was the 80 m. 2nd harmonic and that was a warning.   I made a L network and that took care of that.  (I have heard of guys running BC610s on 160 with no low pass filter; just the link to the antenna and having a hell of a 80 m. harmonic.)  The second one was an ONV for illegally operating in the Extra class subband on 40 m. so I sent them a copy of my license and they cancelled the notice and apologized.   I still have all those notices, all my old licenses and everything in a file here.     

[w3jn]

When a bunch of us from our HS club went down to the FCC in St. Paul to take our general tests, one of the guys (WD0DWK) had laminated his novice license to a nice piece of walnut, about 2' long, with shellac.  That caused a lot of consternation and head-shaking from the FCC staff and the other guys waiting to take their exams, but they eventually concluded they'd have to accept it.  Mike and I both passed our Advanced exams at that session, and both of us were glad to leave our Novice days behind. 

I never had a CW contact after that, there being plenty of DX to be made with a barefoot HT-32 and a crappy dipole back in the late 70s 

[KA3EKH]

Was all I was able to do to squeak thru at five words per minute! Glad I won’t have to do that again. Had a Novice license for about three months back in 78 long enough to go and sit for the Technician license at the FCC in Baltimore. Spent many years only using VHF and UHF, building repeaters, packet nodes and satellite junk. Then one day they told me “hay you can get your general if you passed 5 wpm as a tech” remember tech plus? So that’s how I upgraded to tech plus and then general but beyond that I am the Ham they warned you about hate CW, tried and tried but that part of my brain is just too small. So I am the low life “No code” Ham that is ruining the bands for the rest of you old timers. Being a Novice sucks, at least for me.
Ray F

[Jim, W5JO]

N4MC has a section on his website that allows you to enter your call sign history.  Many people have entered their data and it is interesting.  Look for your call in his Unique Call Sign Search.

www.vanityhq.com

[KM1H]

I used to operate a DX-100 on 11M legally